Palomar College presidential candidate plays question and answer

PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer

SAN MARCOS -- No one could possibly accuse Richard Jarvis of
being a dry speaker when he met with the public at Palomar College
on Tuesday afternoon. Jarvis, one of two finalists for Palomar's
presidency, took the podium in a soggy suit. He was caught in a
rainstorm during a campus walking tour just minutes before the
second of two presidential candidate forums commenced at the
two-year community college.

About 100 people -- some faculty, some students, and some
college employees -- braved the rain that raked North County on
Tuesday to learn more about Jarvis' background and get a feel for
how he communicates.

Jarvis replied that he believes "you need to get out and hear
the voices" to effectively lead a 30,000-student campus like
Palomar. He said eye-to-eye communication with college employees
and students is especially important in restoring trust in the
administration. That trust reached a low point last year when the
faculty gave former president Sherrill Amador a vote of no
confidence.

Jarvis said being accountable in the decision-making process
goes a long way toward building trust.

"It's the people whose advice you rejected that you owe an
explanation to," Jarvis said. "If you don't, you lose the trust
factor."

Another audience member wondered how Jarvis would react the
first time the faculty disagreed with a decision he made that he
believed was correct.

Jarvis said talking the matter over with the faculty is the
answer.

"If I'm convinced that my decision is correct then that means I
am able to explain it," Jarvis said.

Jarvis was asked several questions that were also posed to
Deegan on Monday, including what he would do to improve the working
conditions of part- time faculty.

Though his most recent jobs were as chancellor of the university
systems in Oregon and Nevada, Jarvis said he has kept his classroom
perspective by teaching a geology and environmental science class
as a part-timer.

He said teachers need access to high-tech tools necessary to
teach in this digital age and said he would continue to "go visit
and listen" to part-time faculty.

Jarvis was also asked why he decided to leave his most recent
job as chancellor of the Oregon university system and a similar job
in Nevada.

He said that the Oregon Legislature dramatically cut funding for
the state's higher education system and changed the role of the
state board of education to deal with budget matters more than
education.

"For me, it was no longer the job I was hired to do," Jarvis
said.

In 1999, after several years running Nevada's higher education
system as chancellor, Jarvis left to start United States Open
University, an on-line college that eventually folded.

Bonnie Dowd, a Palomar business professor, asked Jarvis to
explain why Open University failed and what he would do differently
next time.

Jarvis said the university, an extension of the British Open
University, was a victim of the short-lived Internet boom that
crashed to earth in 2001. He said the university spent $28 million
in three years but was unable to attract enough students to
continue.

"We just lost the race for revenue," Jarvis said.

He added that if he had another chance to build an on-line
university, he would focus more intently on providing adequate
student enrollment services and less on obtaining the absolute best
technology.

Katie Townsend-Merino, chair of Palomar's faculty senate and a
psychology professor on campus, noted that Jarvis has changed jobs
frequently over the last 12 years.

"You seem like someone who likes to play the field,"
Townsend-Merino said. "We're looking for someone who will fall in
love with us and marry us."

Jarvis replied that the Palomar position is different from other
jobs he has held in one important way.

"I've been recruited for every job I've moved to except for this
one," Jarvis said.

He added that, after eight years running large university
systems at a state level, he is looking for a job where he can
"become part of the community."

Palomar's governing board will not choose its favorite candidate
until after the Nov. 2 election, leaving those who attended
Tuesday's open forum plenty of time to give their two cents. The
college is accepting all comments from the public and will present
them to the governing board before it makes a decision.